The Pout Hits The Wine!

OK peeps, I've got something new to show you today! 

I've been thinking of wine recently.  No, not the fall-down-water, but the colour. 

Wine is so warm and rich and perfect for this time of year.  I'm seeing it with grey and with black, of course, but also brown which is not a colour that I would automatically pair it with.  Well, at least not since my school days. I'm thinking gym slips and knickers, peeps!

My colour inspo was a scarf I accidentally bought off Amazon.  I'd been a-searchin' round for pressie ideas and in the blink of an eye I discovered that I'd pressed the 1-click-buy.  Has that happened to you?!

 It was incredibly cheap and the picture confirming the purchase was of a grey, wine and ivory combo.  So in the days before it arrived my thoughts strayed to that colour combo.  On reflection, I think that was the default scarf on the site as when it arrived, it wasn't the scarf pictured all the way through the confirmation and shipping process emails I'd been getting.  But hey-ho.

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The scarf's got a lot of brown in it.  Well, there's an idea, thought I.  And as I'm applying the 3-ways-2-wear principle (catchy, huh?)  to this new item in my wardrobe, I began experimenting.

First with grey, my original plan.

For starters, let me introduce you to my new "dress".  It's a snuggy-winter knit.

It's a bit (a lot!) shorter than I would normally wear.  My knees have nowhere to hide.

  

It's sleeves are long, so the dress has in-built mittens!

I've discovered from these pics that these grey boots don't lend themselves to anything but jeans and trousers, which they do extremely well, BTW. 

Top tip, consider the diameter of the ankle boot top when getting your legs out, ladies.

 I tried with a different shade of grey opaques a few days later, toning in more with the colour of the boots but still the tight ankle of the boot brought down the look.  Oh dear, is Gabor calling?  In a half size larger?

Silver goes beautifully with the wine and grey combo.  I wore a silver leaf pendant, layered with my lovely new silver necklace from my special little people.  How I do love it; it's rapidly becoming a go-to.

Here's the scarf.  Yes, The Photographer could have told me that the scarf was trailing on the ground!  But at least it's showcasing well.

So that was my day of wine and grey, accessorised with a plethora of strewn autumn leafage.

Then today I've moved on to brown.

I pushed the boat out and  bought some M&S chocolate opaques and they are a perfect match for my old brown Gabor knee boots (which I love, so supple a leather and they are lined in a softer and lighter suede, so scrummy!).

I chose a chunky wooden necklace, a pressie from one my lovely readers, La Duchesse.

As the look I'd chosen was informal, I paired it with a brown leather wrist band.  You can't see it in any of the pics, though, but it's there, you will just have to trust me on this one - and you know you can!

And then I played around with my new blanket scarf.

The Photographer With Fashion Views declared this look "messy".

And it got rapidly messier.  I tried the casual draping over the shoulder again. This time it didn't touch the floor, purely by luck rather than Photographer vigilance.

I have a friend who rocks the pashmina-over-the-shoulder look.  You know, that Judi Dench look, so casually elegant.  I just can't hit it, though, it always looks a bit strange on me.  Are you someone who does this casual draping thing?  Any tricks you can share?

I think the scarf goes so well with this outfit.  It picks out both the wine and the brown.  I just need to get my head around the blanket scarf thing.  It seems too big, cumbersome.  Like I'm draping myself with, errr, a blanket.  And as that is not normally my wont, I struggle.  Seems a bit period drama to me.  Perhaps I should check out how Cathy wears it in her Wuthering Heights look.  I wonder if she Instagrams it? Or Pins it?

Turns out Cathy wasn't into blanket scarves after all.

On to another of my challenges.  What I am discovering is that it's quite difficult to keep a bardot doing what it says on the tin.  Keeping off the shoulder.

The bardot neckline shifts around, up and down.  Now generally I see this as a good thing, as it presents me with the gift of so many neckline options, changes.  I like change.  The Photographer doesn't like that I like change.  It usually means us shifting around furniture.  And occasionally shifting it back again, if I find my improvement isn't actually an improvement.

Apropos that, I told him this morning that I like that he has a good attitude.  He tells me what I see as good attitude is actually pragmatic subservience.  What are your thoughts on that bombshell, ladies?!!

And whilst we're in Photographer Corner, as he was taking the abundance of wine and brown shots he muttered "I can see this being one of your posts that I won't be reading". 

 OK, scrub what I said about "good" attitude earlier, this is downright bad/recalcitrant attitude!!

But how I have digressed.  I was talking about the Bardot neckline.  I have discovered that a pin slipped into the back of the dress sort of disciplines this cheeky strumpet of a collar.

My bardot seems to be holding fast with this tweak.  It's still sitting smartly as I type.  If this good pin work continues, I'm going to make it a permanent feature with a few deft stitches.

Once again, the Dotty P design team will thank me for this little innovation.

So, grey done; brown done.  Black to come.

But I also want to see how this baby performs with jeans.  You see, it is actually sold as a sweater, but on my 5' 3" and-a-bit frame, it can become a dress as well as a sweater.  One of the few benefits of being vertically challenged.  Ooops, digressing again, Pout!

Yes, back to those jeans.  The dress/jumper (drummers?!) would go beautifully with blue or grey jeans, of course. 

But I see it with some tight faux leather or waxed black jeans.  I haven't clicked the Nordstrom buy button on the former (sorry Mrs R, I still think they will bring too much attention to my trotters).  I haven't clicked the M&S buy button on the latter either.  Perhaps it's not so much that I am a wimp when it comes to the more risqué of legwear, but that I'm a bit dubious about sizing (more on that in another post ... hopefully).

Right my dear friends, I've rambled enough and The Photographer wants his trunch.

 Before I sign off, here's what the dress looks like on the optimum body, a tall slim model.

You see, they style it as a jumper, albeit a very long one.

It's under £20 and can be found here.  Such a rich colour and so snug.  The grey is selling out fast.

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I've found a similar here also available in grey.

I leave you with more wine and grey.  Just when I was strutting my stuff in my wine and grey ensemble above, the clever Janice of The Vivienne Files only went and posted on grey and wine here.  What do they say about great minds?!

A couple of pieces sprang out at me from her post.

This beauty is from Dotty P so is close to home.  Most versatile and something that would fit

nicely into our wardroes, eh?  Certainly it's manna to my wine themed wardrobe.

This gorgeous wine cashmere number from L L Bean is divine. Pricey, but if you're reading this, TP, and in your view I've been nice rather than naughty ... or perhaps it works the other way round with blokes?!!

Whoa, stop your friskiness, Pout.  Let these lovely people close this post and get on with their busy lives.  And you go downstairs and get The Photographer his trunch!!!!

A la perchoine.